


I swear, I'll remember next time

by hamwriting



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Future Fic, M/M, Post-Time Skip
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-06
Updated: 2020-12-06
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:55:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,385
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27911872
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hamwriting/pseuds/hamwriting
Summary: "Soo...." Bokuto sing-songs. "We gotta come up with a story, right! Like how we met! And how we started dating!!"Akaashi thinks for a moment. "We went to high school together. We played volleyball. We kept in touch even though we moved apart. Next thing we know we're in our mid twenties and dating.""Oh, nice one!! I can remember that.""Because that's what happened.""Oh, right.""Except for the dating part, which is fake.""Right."
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou
Comments: 24
Kudos: 248





	I swear, I'll remember next time

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you endlessly to [ai](https://archiveofourown.org/users/areyouhappy) and [manny](https://archiveofourown.org/users/21tales) for being the best cheersquad, also ai for giving me a prompt (fake dating + "stop exaggerating"), also everyone for being so supportive over on [my rp account](https://twitter.com/BO_KOTARO). I hope you enjoy this!

"Bokuto-san," Akaashi calls as he emerges from his bedroom at a very respectable 2:30pm on a Friday. "We are meeting my parents for dinner tomorrow."

Bokuto, who has currently set up camp on Akaashi's couch, grunts in response. "Okay! Will they judge me for wearing these Pokemon socks I just bought yesterday?" Bokuto has the week off from volleyball and insisted on visiting Tokyo, even though his parents have since retired out of the city. He also claims to have lost his last paycheck in the mail, so couldn’t afford a hotel. 

"It's fine. But I have to warn you. My parents think we are dating. So I ask that you play along and pretend to be my boyfriend."

A full 5 seconds pass before Bokuto yells, “What?!" and nearly falls off the couch. Akaashi sighs.

"It's okay if you won't. I understand. But my mother will be very sad and may excuse herself to cry. She's a big fan of yours, you know."

Bokuto scrambles to rearrange himself to face Akaashi. The thought of disappointing such a dedicated fan weighs heavily on Bokuto's heart. "No - No!! I will do it Akaashi. I'll do it, and I will be the best bestest best boyfriend your parents have ever met."

"I have no doubt," Akaashi says with a non-zero amount of doubt. He rummages his fridge and pulls out a takeout container. "Bokuto-san, would you like to have lunch? I don't remember where this pad thai is from, but it looks fresh."

"Oh, I ordered that. And I already ate. That portion is for you."

"Of course. Thank you."

As Akaashi puts the food in his microwave, Bokuto pulls on his new Pokemon socks and wiggles his toes. It stretches the Charizard’s mouth in a funny way. "Say, Akaashi, your parents don't mind that you're gay?"

The microwave beeps, but the food isn't hot yet. Akaashi puts it in for another minute. "They were more disappointed when I became a manga editor. So I suppose that's to say that they're okay with it."

"Oh okay. Cool! I haven't come out to my parents yet, but I bet if they met you, they'd approve of my choice no problem!"

"We aren't actually dating, Bokuto-san," Akaashi reminds.

"Oh right. Yeah."

Akaashi sits down at his counter to eat the now too-hot noodles. Bokuto plops into the seat next to him like an oversized puppy. He eyes the food as if he expects Akaashi to offer to share, but Akaashi pretends to not notice.

"Soo...." Bokuto sing-songs after he’s decided that he’s stared enough. "We gotta come up with a story, right! Like how we met! And how we started dating!!"

Akaashi thinks for a moment. "We went to high school together. We played volleyball. We kept in touch even though we moved apart. Next thing we know we're in our mid twenties and dating."

"Oh, nice one!! I can remember that."

"Because that's what happened."

"Oh, right."

"Except for the dating part, which is fake."

"Right."

Akaashi ends up not finishing his food, and asks would Bokuto please eat it so food isn't wasted. Bokuto politely asks three times if Akaashi is sure that he's full, even though he's clearly asking out of courtesy, and Akaashi dutifully replies yes each time even though in truth he is considering buying a second lunch.

"See Akaashi!" Bokuto says between bites of noodles, "Aren't you glad that you let me stay over?"

Akaashi looks at his couch that's no longer aligned with the coffee table, and the growing pile of dirty clothes and souvenirs meant to catch the attention of 3 year olds by the TV. "Sure, Bokuto-san."

That night, they have dinner plans with Konoha. Komi has a part time acting gig he can't finagle out of, and Saru is out of town for a hair appointment. Washio is off being a pro-volleyball player, much like what Bokuto usually does, but unlike Bokuto, actually collects his paycheck. Bokuto decides this is the perfect opportunity to practice their fake dating arrangement.

"Hey hey, Konoha!!" They meet outside of a yakiniku joint, Akaashi’s favorite. In the chilly December air, Bokuto’s scarf comes undone as he jumps and waves his arms frantically, causing Akaashi to sigh and re-wrap the scarf twice as tight. He nods apologetically to a couple passersby and cautiously avoids the gaze of the rest.

"Good to see you, Bokuto," Konoha greets in a way that says _I am very neutral about seeing you, Bokuto_. He then turns to Akaashi and smiles. "How's my favorite kouhai been?"

"Dating!! Taken!!" Bokuto hastily grabs for Akaashi's hand and lifts it to show Konoha their entwined fingers. "See!!"

"That's nice, Bokuto. As I was saying, Akaashi, how have you been?"

Akaashi untangles his hand and uses it to pat Bokuto's face in consolation. "Busy. Tired. The usual.”

“Always so hardworking, eh? Where’s the manga man, he couldn’t make it?”

“Tenma-san is behind on holiday promotion art. I told him to get started earlier, but he never listens. Otherwise he could have taken the day off and slept in, like me.”

“Well, at least he’s in good hands. You’ve always been the most organized, even since high school. Anyways, this is for you.” Konoha holds up a small gift bag, decorated with childishly drawn owls and colorful tissue paper.

“Thank you, Konoha-san.”

Bokuto immediately tries to take the gift bag. “Ooohh what’s this?! Akaashi, what did you get?? Wait, why does Akaashi get something and not me?!”

“You already had your turn, Bokuto, stop being a big child.” Konoha rolls his eyes. “It’s a sunlight clock. Since you mentioned that winters were especially tough to feel well rested.”

Akaashi peeks at the gift, then tucks it away gently into his backpack. “That’s very thoughtful of you, Konoha-san. I’ll put it to good use.”

Konoha smirks, proud. “I’m not your favorite senpai for nothing!”

“Will my favorite senpai also be treating me for dinner?”

Bokuto perks up at the mention of food. "Konoha is treating?!"

"Only Akaashi's portion!" Konoha clarifies, shoving a hand in Bokuto's face before he can get any more excited. "...Maybe."

Akaashi dips his head. "Thank you Konoha. This is why you're the best."

Konoha huffs. “You always know exactly how to get what you want, don’t you.”

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"What about me?" Bokuto complains.

"You're on your own," Konoha grumbles. "I can't afford both of your appetites." 

In the end, Konoha pays for everyone, because Bokuto forgot his wallet anyways. Nobody is surprised. "Y'all owe me one for this," Konoha says, words that will be forgotten within minutes. "Also. Congrats on dating. Or whatever you have going on."

Bokuto puffs out his chest triumphantly. "We are fake dating!!"

Konoha laughs. "No you're not."

"Are too!" Bokuto whips his head around to Akaashi. "We're fake dating. It's pretend. Akaashi, tell him!"

"Bokuto-san and I are fake dating."

"See?! We tricked you. Admit it!"

Konoha sighs with the exasperation of a decade. "I see. Yes, you were very convincing."

Bokuto pumps his fists in the air. "The secret," he says, wagging a finger in Konoha's face, "is that because I am pretending to be the best boyfriend ever, I let Akaashi peacefully eat his meal! If we were real-dating, I would have stolen the beef off his plate."

"Buddy - you always steal the beef off his plate."

"Huhn. I guess I do."

Konoha puts one hand each on Bokuto and Akaashi's shoulders. "Alright folks, it's been an absolute pleasure seeing you two. I hope we will hang out again soon, but hopefully no sooner than at least two months later for sake of my wallet and my health, both physical and mental. Ciao."

As Konoha leaves, Akaashi turns to Bokuto. "Thank you for not stealing my food, Bokuto-san. That was very considerate of you."

Bokuto preens under the compliment. "Of course, anything for you, fake-boyfriend! Can you treat me to ice cream now?"

"No," says Akaashi, and leads them to the convenience store anyways.

—

The next day starts off much like the last, with Bokuto waking up cheerily at 7am to head out for a day of fun before returning to the apartment in time to see Akaashi crawl out of bed at 3pm. The sunlight clock was supposed to help, but after setting it up the night before, they left it out in the living room, so it only resulted in Bokuto waking up extra-extra refreshed.

“Good morning, Bokuto-san.”

“Morning, Akaashi! I remembered that dinner with your parents is gonna be on the early side, so I didn’t eat lunch. But then I bought a bunch of egg waffles for a snack. I saved one for you.”

“Mm.” 

“Also, I think I’m going to wear my Digimon socks instead tonight.”

“Okay.”

Akaashi absentmindedly checks his phone as he polishes off the waffle from Bokuto. Bokuto keeps talking, something about the cool street fashion he saw earlier in the day, but huffs when he hears no reaction. “Akaashi!! Pay attention to me!”

Akaashi taps in another text before finally lifting his eyes. “Hi.”

Bokuto makes a stink face and lets his arms flop over the back of the couch. “Jeez, aren’t you popular, why do you have so many texts?? I didn’t even text you today!”

“You did actually, in the morning. And I’m not normally this popular. It’s only for today.”

“Hrm....”

“Anyways.” Akaashi glances at the clock. “We’ll need to head out soon.”

“Oh, yeah, yeah! Give me a sec! I gotta change my clothes. And I need to put on my best fake boyfriend disguise.”

“Okay. Please get to it, so I do not have to rush you.”

Bokuto ends up getting rushed out of the house anyways, because he found a small hole in the Digimon socks, and then couldn’t decide which pair he should wear after all. They leave Akaashi’s apartment 5 minutes later than planned, but arrive 5 minutes earlier than needed, because Akaashi expected this and tactfully lied about the travel time. Still, they are beaten by Akaashi’s parents, who clearly have even more mastery when it comes to time management.

Akaashi’s parents greet them warmly. His mother is all hugs and smiles, despite her short stature and thick winter coats that make her arms unable to bend freely, and even his father, with his stoic face, gives an affirming pat on the back. For all of Akaashi’s timeliness with answering texts and calls, he rarely visits, and his parents have softened up considerably in his years of absence. 

“Keiji, you look more handsome every year!” Mrs. Akaashi gushes, taking her son’s face in her mittened hands.

“Thank you, Mom,” Akaashi says. “I learned how to use concealer.”

Bokuto, on the other hand, is deeply enthused by the way that Akaashi’s parents remember him fondly. They pepper him in comments of “we miss having you over,” and “look how you’ve grown!,” and “we watch all of your matches, and you are the pride of our city,” and he has to remind himself it may not be appropriate to lift Mrs. Akaashi too far off the ground, or to smack Mr. Akaashi's back too hard.

Inside the restaurant, they sit down and they order; food is served, and Mrs. Akaashi leans in with a smile on her face. “Koutarou-kun, thank you for taking care of our Keiji. I haven’t seen him look so happy in a long while.”

“Of course, Auntie!” Bokuto says between big bites of food. “But if anything, Akaashi — I mean Keiji! — is the one taking care of me!”

“Oh?” She says, leaning even closer, eyebrows inching a bit higher. “Is that so?”

“Yeah, yeah! Like this time. I was supposed to get a hotel, maybe, but it would have been so expensive you know, and so I begged and begged to stay with him, and even though he said no, when I arrived, there was a freshly cooked meal waiting for me! I mean, the veggies were kinda burnt and the rice wasn’t cooked through, but still, fresh! Made for me!”

“Because you probably would have sat outside my unit in the cold, if I locked you out,” Akaashi says.

“Yeah... probably!”

Mrs. Akaashi laughs and turns to her son. “Keiji! How could you even think of letting Koutarou stay at a hotel?”

“My apartment is small,” Akaashi says.

“Maybe it’s time you looked for something bigger,” his father suggests.

Bokuto nods enthusiastically. “Yeah, get something bigger!”

“I don’t make enough money for that,” Akaashi replies.

“Maybe it’s time you negotiated a raise,” his mother advises.

“Yeah, yeah!”

Akaashi sighs.

Mrs. Akaashi shakes her head. “Oh, Koutarou-kun, sometimes I have to wonder why you even stay with our son.”

Bokuto furrows his eyebrows in thought. “Well, I don’t know either. I mean, I do know! But not really, you know?” Mrs. Akaashi nods hesitantly. Mr. Akaashi looks down at his food, and Keiji-Akaashi looks unimpressed.

Bokuto tries again. “Well okay, I think what I’m trying to say is — I’m a happy person, I have awesome friends! And an awesome job! And awesome fans! And I’m happy. I wasn’t always _always_ this happy, but now, yeah I mostly am. But even still, being with Akaashi is like, extra happy, like when you order ice cream and the nice lady gives you sprinkles on top for free type of happy. And even though A-, Keiji sometimes uses these big smart words that I don’t know the meaning of, I think he’s happy too. So that’s why I’ll stay. And I’ll stay for as long as he lets me.” Bokuto, nearly bouncing with the energy of suddenly saying so many words, turns to Akaashi with bright, expectant eyes. Akaashi, in return, gives him a strained smile.

“Oh, Koutarou-kun.” Mrs. Akaashi reaches over to pat Bokuto’s arm. Mr. Akaashi looks him in the eyes and gives a firm nod. Bokuto smiles at this, but returns his attention to Akaashi and searches his face. He finally relaxes after Akaashi gives his leg a gentle pat, and they return to eating their food.

“You’re overdoing it,” Akaashi says under his breath, once his parents excuse themselves to use the restroom.

“Huhn? Doing what?”

“Stop exaggerating so much.”

“I’m not, I’m not! ...Am I?”

Akaashi kicks him under the table. Bokuto gets his revenge by tangling their ankles together and accidentally scuffing Akaashi’s shoes.

Akaashi’s parents return, and shortly after, a cake is delivered to their table. “I thought you said that your family doesn’t believe in dessert,” Bokuto whispers. Akaashi shrugs.

It’s a chocolate cake with strawberries, one that Bokuto remembers eating many times through their high school careers. Akaashi gets the first pick in slice, and he chooses the one with the most strawberries, leaving Bokuto feeling a bit put out. Bokuto peeks meaningfully at Akasshi’s plate while he eats, hoping to conjure a repeat of yesterday’s pad thai phenomenon, or the many food miracles dating back to even high school. But Akaashi remains unperturbed today, polishing his plate off without hesitation.

Bokuto’s spirits are lifted, somewhat, once they exit the restaurant and Akaashi’s mother coyly asks him for a signature. She promises not to sell it for profit, but because Bokuto is generous, he signs a second page, and gives her permission to sell it as long as she treat him to dinner again. They walk Akaashi’s parents to the subway station, where they exchange hugs and goodbyes and well-wishes.

“Akaashi,” Bokuto starts, but is quickly cut off.

“We just had cake,” Akaashi says. “Besides, I have chocolate at my place. Let’s share that, instead.

Back at the apartment, the two hang up their coats, and Bokuto launches himself onto the couch while Akaashi brings out a box of chocolates, as promised.

“Thank you for tonight, Bokuto-san. I think my parents were very happy.”

“Yeah, yeah, of course!” Bokuto hesitates between two choices of truffles, finally settling on a caramel one and popping it into his mouth. He notices the hole in his sock again, so he reaches down to take them off, only to suddenly pause midway. “Oh my god,” Bokuto says through a mouthful of sticky candy. “Akaashi, I totally forgot.”

“What?”

“I completely forgot Akaashi, I forgot!!”

“What did you forget, Bokuto-san?”

He whips his head to face Akaashi dramatically. “I didn’t actually put on my fake boyfriend disguise!! I was too distracted by my socks!!”

“You… actually had a disguise?”

“Yes! Well, no, but — you know! Oh my god. I can’t believe it.”

Akaashi considers this. “So then, nothing tonight was pretend.”

“Nope!!” Bokuto wails, holding his head in his hands. “I completely, 100%, ten out of ten forgot about everything!! Wait —” He snaps his head to look at Akaashi. "Were _you_ pretending?”

Akaashi nods. “Well, yes. If we were real-dating, I think that I would have given you the strawberries on my cake.”

“But Akaashi, you normally do that anyways.”

“Do I now?”

“Yeah, at least I think so! I’ve always thought it was coincidence that whenever I stare really hard at your food, you end up too full to finish and then give it to me. But I’m starting to think that it’s not a coincidence after all.”

“How interesting.” Akaashi turns on the tv, and the news begins to quietly drone in the background. “Say, Bokuto-san, did you really lose your paycheck in the mail?”

Bokuto scrunches his face up in a pained expression. “I did, Akaashi, I did!! It was the worst! I forgot to check my mail for a whole month and apparently any mail that didn’t fit in the box, they just let it fall to the floor, and I guess the check was just swept away by the wind!!”

“And here I wondered if maybe you came up with this excuse on purpose.”

“Huhn? Why would I?”

“No reason.”

“Oh, okay.”

Bokuto fishes up a blanket that’s fallen to the floor, and drapes it over himself as he leans down to nestle his head in Akaashi’s lap. Akaashi takes a hand and rests it on Bokuto’s face, lightly poking at his cheek.

“Hey, hey — Akaashi. The Black Jackals are playing a game in Tokyo later this month. Next next Saturday.”

Akaashi hums. “Is that so.”

“Yeah!! I’m really excited for it. And I was hoping you could come.”

“Sure, I will be free on the weekend.”

Bokuto grins widely, resisting the urgent to cheer on the account that he is sideways and sandwiched between Akaashi’s thighs and hand. “And also, Akaashi, I may have told my teammates that you could join us for dinner afterwards. You know, like a celebratory thing after we win. If we win — but we’ll probably win. And also, I think that maybe, somehow, they think that we’re dating. I never told them that, but it’s just what they think, and I also think that they kind of like you a lot. That’s the situation. Yeah.”

Akaashi gives a pinch to Bokuto’s cheek. “So, you want me to go as your boyfriend.”

“Yeah! Yeah, that’s it. Could you? You don’t have to. But if you could!”

“Sure, I can do that Bokuto-san. I can go as your fake boyfriend. But since you so responsibly forgot to be my fake boyfriend this time, I cannot promise that I’ll remember my role at that time, either.”

“Okay! Yeah, that’s fine, I think, since apparently, it didn’t really make a difference anyways, right?” 

“I suppose it didn’t.”

Bokuto shifts to lay on this back now, so he’s looking upwards at Akaashi. In the reflection of his glasses, Bokuto can see the glow of the TV, and, combined with the faint audio, he gathers that there’s some story about a pet bird finding its way home after years of being lost. The news is running out of stories to tell, Bokuto thinks to himself, and Akaashi’s face, unmoving as it is, is a much more interesting subject to look at, although Bokuto suspects this would be true no matter what the tabloid is.

In another few minutes, Akaashi turns off the TV and sits back. He pops a chocolate into his mouth and when he looks down, what’s reflected in his glasses is none other than Bokuto’s adoring smile.

**Author's Note:**

> after something like 10 years, I've finally managed to finish a written work again. Happy birthday Akaashi!! I'm sorry that Bokuto didn't remember (lmao). 
> 
> comments and kudos are very appreciated, thank you sm for reading!! find me here on [twitter](https://twitter.com/hamura_art) or [rp twitter](https://twitter.com/BO_KOTARO)


End file.
